The Bakers Delight brand has over 40 years of history and is well-loved across Australia, North America, and New Zealand. Known for baking fresh, handcrafted bread daily, Bakers Delight NZ is committed to growing and nurturing their loyal customer base.

Bakers Delight is also deeply embedded in the community, donating unsold bread to local charities and participating in fundraising events. While honoring the brand's trans-Tasman roots, the New Zealand brand is always looking to adapt offerings to meet the preferences of Kiwi consumers. A fan favorite? The Kiwi Onion Dip Croissant!

Jordan found Marsello when he was looking for a loyalty program that integrated with Shopify and Lightspeed. The online business was growing, and he needed a way to provide a seamless experience for customers, however they were shopping.

With Marsello, he can offer that. And by connecting all his sales channels, he has access to all his in-store and online sales data in one place. Jordan can also sync all his in-store transaction data into Klaviyo, where he runs email campaigns.

When Bakers Delight New Zealand acquired the master franchise in 2022, they faced the challenge of starting from scratch with their loyalty program. Previously, their marketing and brand operations were managed by the Australian team, including the rewards program.

The New Zealand team inherited a database of people who’d expressed interest in rejoining the loyalty program. During this transition, Bakers Delight discovered Marsello, a one-stop solution offering email marketing and loyalty program management. Marsello's comprehensive features, data tracking, and automation tools streamlined the process of re-establishing their loyalty program, allowing Karen and her team to focus on building a community and tailoring their product offerings to resonate with Kiwi customers.

“Bakers Club is really very simple. Every dollar you spend equals one point and every 55 points, you get a $5 voucher back,” says Karen. New members are welcomed with a free loaf or Danish of their choice, and they also enjoy a free Danish on their birthday.

To maintain engagement, the program features eight to nine member-exclusive campaigns each year, offering special deals. Recently, the VIP tier, Upper Crust, was introduced for customers who spend over $750 annually, offering additional rewards like exchanging fewer points for items.

“We're seeing consistent growth from that. [At our conference], our franchisees were pretty amazed at how much a loyalty program actually brought into the bakeries.”

Bakers Delight leverages loyalty program data to enhance customer engagement and set measurable goals. By analyzing visit frequency, they identified opportunities to encourage more frequent customer visits, which is crucial given their more premium position in-market.

Marsello also gives them levers to pull to move these metrics. Bakers Delight use Marsello’s double points campaigns to boost sales during quieter afternoon hours. The team has also found success with text message campaigns, and intend to expand strategic use of SMS to bring customers back faster. This data-driven approach helps Bakers Delight maintain engagement and continually work on growth, all while ensuring customers feel rewarded and valued.

Building a robust membership base for Bakers Club has been a gradual process. Initially, it took time for staff to consistently ask customers if they were part of Bakers Club, but now it’s second nature. This shift has driven consistent growth in the loyalty program's membership.

During major campaigns like Easter and Christmas, staff efforts are tracked, and top performers are rewarded, which has further incentivized sign-ups.

Looking ahead, Bakers Delight aims to grow their membership by more than 35% by next June — an ambitious goal. Karen assures me: “we have a good system with Marsello to do that.”

Rhys admits that it’s not always easy to find the right tech partners. As a growing business, they always have one eye set on new technology to stay up-to-date with customer expectations.  “I think people shy away from tech because it kind of removes the human experience,” he says, “but what I think hospitality brands should be doing is using it to actually enhance the human experience.”

“We love that Marsello are continuing to innovate in that space, not just accepting that that's where you're up to, but continually developing that product.” This innovation aligns perfectly with Nodo's own ambitions as they expand and seek partners who can evolve alongside them.

“I think that in hospitality, we're sometimes scared to put too much of an identity on a particular part of the brand. Obviously, a digital marketing program costs a lot more than having a traditional stamp card.” But Rhys explains: “The amount of data that is available to you to benefit your customers is the most important thing about it, as well as the experience they have with your brand.”

Now that they’ve found the perfect tool, and the return on investment is clear, they’re ready to take their Sweet Circle loyalty program to the next level. Soon, Nodo will be introducing limited edition merchandise available exclusively through the program, where customers earn points to access these unique items. This initiative aims to create excitement and foster engagement within the Sweet Circle community. 

We can’t wait to see what they bake up next.